


Going Down

by ibelieveinturtles



Series: Donuts in My Bra and Other Stories [26]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Christmas, F/M, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, beachwear, dlchristmas18, prompts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-26 14:20:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17143349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ibelieveinturtles/pseuds/ibelieveinturtles
Summary: Brock lost a bet and has to pay the price





	Going Down

**Author's Note:**

> Darcy Lewis Holiday Challenge  
> December 23rd, Day 5: Ugly Sweater 
> 
> As someone currently dealing with a shitty Australian summer heatwave the Ugly Sweater prompt just wasn't working for me so I took the liberty of changing it to Beachwear. Sorrynotsorry.
> 
> Post Winter Soldier au of some sort. Triple agents Brock and Jack; Aussie Jack Rollins. Soulmate au where everyone is born with the first words their soulmate will say to them tattooed on their skin.
> 
> beta'd by the lovely and amazing Zephrbabe!!

 

* * *

 

 

Brock Rumlow stood in the new Strike locker room, staring down his second-in-command.

“No,” he said.

“You have to do it,” said Jack, blocking the doorway and Brock’s only possible escape route. “You already vetoed the other option.”

“Skinny dipping in the river is sounding pretty good right now.”

“Too late, mate.”

Brock glared at Jack. Maybe if he tried another tactic he could avoid the humiliation in his future. “This was never part of the bet,” he insisted. “No one ever said anything about wearing...that.”

“The terms were that the loser would perform a task chosen by the team, from a list pre-approved by all of us. It's definitely on the list that you approved, just like the rest of us. You lost. We chose. Put it on.” Jack Rollins held the offending item out, a wide grin stretched across his usually grim visage.

“No,” Brock repeated.

“You tryin’ to back out, Rumlow?”

Brock cursed silently to himself and turned around. How in seven hells had Rogers snuck up behind him like that?

“No way, Cap. Just trying to save my modesty.”

“Bit late for that, don’t you think?” Rogers lifted an eyebrow, but his mouth was twitching and Brock realised he was trying very hard not to laugh. “You lost the bet fair and square, now it’s time to pay up. Put it on. We’ll be waiting outside.”

Brock sighed. There was no way Rogers was going to let him out of this. “Can I at least get something to cover my soulmark?”

Rogers thought for a moment, then nodded. “You can wear one of your sleeves.”

Brock turned back to Jack, snatched the thing from his hand and retreated to a change room. He was never going to live this down.

Ten minutes later he stood at the door of the locker room, ready to face the music. He rolled his shoulders, adjusted the straps - and other bits - for the fiftieth time, then pushed through the door to a wave of friendly jeers and catcalls.

“Right,” said Jack, “so you have to do a lap of the lobby, ride the left elevator to the top floor, swap to the right elevator, and get off at the cafeteria. We’ll be waiting for you there, and remember - Agent Martin will be watching the cameras so don’t think you can skip out halfway or anything.”

“Don’t forget this.” Rogers held out a sequined Santa hat. Brock gathered the withered scraps of his dignity and put it on.

“You’re all gonna pay for this,” he said, and set off down the corridor.  
  
Jack, Steve, and the rest of Strike Alpha watched Brock stalk away.

“How the hell does he manage to look like he's two seconds away from committing murder even wearing that thing?” Steve asked.

Jack shrugged. “You sayin’ you wouldn't be thinking murder if it was you?”

Steve stared thoughtfully down the corridor. “Probably not,” he decided. “Shall we go watch?”

 

* * *

  
Darcy stood waiting for the elevator, carefully shifting her paperwork from one arm to the other so she could reach into her pocket for her phone. She still wasn’t sure if accepting a job with New S.H.I.E.L.D./The Avengers Initiative was a good idea but it was work where she could actually use her expensive degree, so…

She was busy tapping out a message to Jane when the elevator dinged its arrival. She hit send, looked up, and felt her jaw drop.

There was a man in the elevator.

Which wasn't in itself unusual. She often saw men in elevators. It was a thing that happened on a daily basis. No, what was unusual about this man was what he was wearing… or should that be what he wasn't wearing? Because her first thought was ‘Oh my gods,’ and her second thought was ‘hngh.’

He really wasn't wearing much at all… it only took a second to see that all he had on was a shiny, sequined Santa Hat, and two red elastic straps that stretched across well defined chest and abs, down to where a Santa face was the only thing covering his- she jerked her eyes up to meet a stony gaze that threatened dire consequences if she said anything.

His muscles rippled as he shifted slightly, his whole posture screaming danger. They stared wordlessly at each other for several seconds.

“Are you getting on or not?” he asked, folding his arms across his chest. “Because I don't think they're gonna let the doors close until you do and I don't want to be here all day.”

Darcy felt her expression change as his words penetrated her brain.

Oh.

OH.

She straightened up, shifting her paperwork again and looked him up and down- wait, was he wearing combat boots with his Santa mankini?? She had to bite down on her lip to stop the giggles. Dude was hot, even in that outfit. She met his glowering gaze again and grinned at him.

“Ho, ho, ho, Santa. Going down?” On a whim, she waggled her eyebrows at him for extra effect.

Then she waited.

He glared at her for a moment and then his expression shifted rapidly, brows wrinkling with confusion before his mouth dropped open.

“Well, fuck me,” he breathed.

“Maybe buy me dinner first, soulmate,” she grinned.

 

* * *

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> BONUS SCENE
> 
> “I thought we were gonna let him ride an empty elevator the whole way down?” Steve said, watching the camera feed from the elevator.
> 
> “We were,” Jack replied, letting the elevator door close as soon as the young woman stepped through, “but I changed my mind.”
> 
> “Who is that anyway?”
> 
> “Darcy Lewis. Interned for Dr. Foster and has just been offered a job with the new Publicity and International Relations Department.”
> 
> “What’s she saying?”
> 
> “No idea, mate- wait, did she just check out his arse?”
> 
> “Wouldn’t you?”
> 
> Jack turned a raised eyebrow in Steve’s direction, who shrugged. Jack thought about it for a moment, and then replicated Steve’s shrug. 
> 
> “Yeah, you’ve got a point there.”
> 
> ~~*~~
> 
> You can blame my work Christmas party (and three glasses of wine) for this idea, because one of the Secret Santa gifts was this:  
>   
> You're welcome 😁
> 
> My Tumblr, if you're interested, is [ibelieveinturtles](http://ibelieveinturtles.tumblr.com/)


End file.
